April 2
1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
1792 - Congress authorized the first U.S. mint, in Philadelphia.
1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia because of advancing Union forces.
1870 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull announced her candidacy for president of the United States.
1912 - The just-completed RMS Titanic left Belfast to begin its sea trials eight days before the start of its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” (Congress declared war four days later.).
1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his kidnapped son.
1982 - Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Britain.
1986 - Four American passengers, including an 8-month-old girl, her mother and her grandmother, were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.
1992 - Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering; he was later sentenced to life, and died in prison.
2002 - Israel seized control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, where they began a 39-day standoff.
2003 - During the Iraq War, American forces fought their way to within sight of the Baghdad skyline.
2005 - Pope John Paul II died at his Vatican City apartment at age 84.
2007 - In its first case on climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
2013 - North Korea said it would restart its long-shuttered plutonium reactor and increase production of nuclear weapons material in what outsiders saw as its latest attempt to extract U.S. concessions by raising fears of war.
2020 - The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide passed the 1 million mark, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Birthdays
24 - Sophie Reynolds (actress)
30 - Aaron Kelly (singer)
35 - Jesse Plemons (actor)
37 - Drew Van Acker (actor)
37 - Chris Janson (singer)
42 - Bethany Joy Lenz (actress)
46 - Michael Fassbender (actor)
48 - Adam Rodriguez (actor)
48 - Pedro Pascal (actor)
48 - Jill King (singer)
50 - Roselyn Sanchez (actress)
59 - Jana Marie Hupp (actress)
61 - Clark Gregg (actor)
61 - Billy Dean (singer)
74 - Pamela Reed (actress)
76 - Sam Anderson (actor)
76 - Emmylou Harris (singer)
78 - Linda Hunt (actress)
83 - Penelope Keith (actress)
88 - Sharon Acker (actress)
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Today in Sports History - April 2
1984 - John Thompson became the first black coach to lead his team to the NCAA college basketball championship when Georgetown defeated Houston 84-75.
1985 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock for men's basketball to begin in the 1986 season.
1986 - Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 47th and 48th goals of the season. He broke Bobby Orr's NHL record for most goals by a defenseman. Orr had scored 46 goals in 1974-75.
1986 - NCAA Basketball Rules Committee votes to adopt the 3-point shot beginning the 1986-87 season; sets college distance at 19 feet, 9 inches, compared to 21 feet in the NBA.
1989 - Tennessee defeats Auburn 76-60 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1989 - WrestleMania V is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey where Hulk Hogan defeated "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the WWF championship.
1990 - UNLV defeats Duke 103-73 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1995 - WrestleMania XI is held in Hartford, Connecticut; the main event saw Diesel defeat Shawn Michaels for the WWF championship while football star Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bieglow.
1995 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 70-64 to win their first NCAA women's tournament.
1995 - After a work stoppage lasting nearly eight months, baseball owners accepted the players’ union offer to play without a contract.
2000 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 71-52 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2000 - WrestleMania 2000 is held in Anaheim, California with the main event featuring Triple H defeating The Rock, Mick Foley and the Big Show for the WWF championship.
2001 - New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader, recording his 3,509th K in a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals; Walter Johnson previous record 3,508 Ks.
2001- Duke defeats Arizona 82-72 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2003 - Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) became the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns. He beat Jimmie Foxx's record by 79 days.
2006 - WrestleMania 22 is held in Rosemont, Illinois; the main event saw John Cena defeat Triple H for the WWE championship.
2007 - Florida defeats Ohio State 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2010 - Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million.
2012 - Kentucky defeats Kansas 67-59 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2017 - South Carolina defeats Mississippi State 67-55 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2018 - Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2019 - Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes just the second player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists in a 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2022 - Retiring Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski coached his final game, a loss to archrivals North Carolina in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans.
1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
1792 - Congress authorized the first U.S. mint, in Philadelphia.
1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia because of advancing Union forces.
1870 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull announced her candidacy for president of the United States.
1912 - The just-completed RMS Titanic left Belfast to begin its sea trials eight days before the start of its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” (Congress declared war four days later.).
1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his kidnapped son.
1982 - Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Britain.
1986 - Four American passengers, including an 8-month-old girl, her mother and her grandmother, were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.
1992 - Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering; he was later sentenced to life, and died in prison.
2002 - Israel seized control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, where they began a 39-day standoff.
2003 - During the Iraq War, American forces fought their way to within sight of the Baghdad skyline.
2005 - Pope John Paul II died at his Vatican City apartment at age 84.
2007 - In its first case on climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
2013 - North Korea said it would restart its long-shuttered plutonium reactor and increase production of nuclear weapons material in what outsiders saw as its latest attempt to extract U.S. concessions by raising fears of war.
2020 - The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide passed the 1 million mark, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Birthdays
24 - Sophie Reynolds (actress)
30 - Aaron Kelly (singer)
35 - Jesse Plemons (actor)
37 - Drew Van Acker (actor)
37 - Chris Janson (singer)
42 - Bethany Joy Lenz (actress)
46 - Michael Fassbender (actor)
48 - Adam Rodriguez (actor)
48 - Pedro Pascal (actor)
48 - Jill King (singer)
50 - Roselyn Sanchez (actress)
59 - Jana Marie Hupp (actress)
61 - Clark Gregg (actor)
61 - Billy Dean (singer)
74 - Pamela Reed (actress)
76 - Sam Anderson (actor)
76 - Emmylou Harris (singer)
78 - Linda Hunt (actress)
83 - Penelope Keith (actress)
88 - Sharon Acker (actress)
================================
Today in Sports History - April 2
1984 - John Thompson became the first black coach to lead his team to the NCAA college basketball championship when Georgetown defeated Houston 84-75.
1985 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock for men's basketball to begin in the 1986 season.
1986 - Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 47th and 48th goals of the season. He broke Bobby Orr's NHL record for most goals by a defenseman. Orr had scored 46 goals in 1974-75.
1986 - NCAA Basketball Rules Committee votes to adopt the 3-point shot beginning the 1986-87 season; sets college distance at 19 feet, 9 inches, compared to 21 feet in the NBA.
1989 - Tennessee defeats Auburn 76-60 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1989 - WrestleMania V is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey where Hulk Hogan defeated "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the WWF championship.
1990 - UNLV defeats Duke 103-73 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1995 - WrestleMania XI is held in Hartford, Connecticut; the main event saw Diesel defeat Shawn Michaels for the WWF championship while football star Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bieglow.
1995 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 70-64 to win their first NCAA women's tournament.
1995 - After a work stoppage lasting nearly eight months, baseball owners accepted the players’ union offer to play without a contract.
2000 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 71-52 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2000 - WrestleMania 2000 is held in Anaheim, California with the main event featuring Triple H defeating The Rock, Mick Foley and the Big Show for the WWF championship.
2001 - New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader, recording his 3,509th K in a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals; Walter Johnson previous record 3,508 Ks.
2001- Duke defeats Arizona 82-72 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2003 - Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) became the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns. He beat Jimmie Foxx's record by 79 days.
2006 - WrestleMania 22 is held in Rosemont, Illinois; the main event saw John Cena defeat Triple H for the WWE championship.
2007 - Florida defeats Ohio State 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2010 - Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million.
2012 - Kentucky defeats Kansas 67-59 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2017 - South Carolina defeats Mississippi State 67-55 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2018 - Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2019 - Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes just the second player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists in a 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2022 - Retiring Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski coached his final game, a loss to archrivals North Carolina in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans.
